Archive for Musicals.Net Musicals.Net |
| Eppie-Sue |
I liked Jonathan Williams a lot better than David Shannon, his performance touched me more.
and, Lola-Grace - I know exactly how you feel - I've seen the show for the first time when I was nine years old as well and then had to wait 10 years until I saw it in London. It's an amazing feeling. You know, I really liked the dynamics and the chemistry between David Thaxton's E! and Richard Woodford's R, but how anyone can speak of "a warm strong friendship" regarding Enjolras and Grantaire is beyond me. They did certainly not create a total AU, and they didn't show a friendship, it was something else, more like a ... bond (like Madeleine said). And that's what I liked about it. But, again: maybe we'll get more of book!Enjolras now that Woodford is gone... but dynamics aside: I don't want to see a "very funny" Grantaire without depth. ugh. |
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| Madeleine |
You two are so lucky. My parents saw the UK tour when I was somewhere between 8 and 11 (can't be bothered to work that out exactly right now) and wouldn't take me even though I wanted to go, because they didn't think it was suitable  
Still, I've made up for it now, and I've forgiven them because they've been very supportive/tolerant of my obsession. 
Yes, I wouldn't call it that exactly either. It was certainly not warm, for a start! DT spent most of the show glaring at him and attempting to keep him under control (with Dugdale's Courfeyrac's help, bless him!). Not looking forward to new Grantaire at all. (you can all expect a long ranty post after 5th August when I see this cast!) |
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| Lola-Grace |
Did your amazing feeling consist of starting to cry as soon as it started and then gently weeping til the end and sobbing right through the applause cos mine did. God I'm such a sap...
That's what I saw when I was 9, at Sheffield Arena. Can't really remember much about it now, just sobbing like there was no tomorrow when Gavroche got shot 
I wholly blame my parents for my Les Miserables obsession. The first song I remember ever hearing is Master of the House 
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| bigR |
I'd take 200 "funny and without depth" grantaires over "challenges enjolras because he knows way better than him" Woodford's Grantaire. The man needed to go. (loved him as the foreman, though) |
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| lesmisloony |
*hails the return of bigR*
Where have you BEEN? |
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| Eppie-Sue |
Yes, I admit that some of the E!/R scenes were a bit... OOC-fanfiction-worthy. But actually prefer a Grantaire who sobers up once Enjolras is talking to him over a Grantaire who makes fun of Enjolras. And Woodford definitely didn't do that. | ||||||||||
| Lola-Grace |
I'm pretty sure it was Jeff Nicholson playing Grantaire when I saw it, although he was down as Brujon in the programme.
He was very good |
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| flying_pigs |
Awww you saw Jeff?! Lucky, he's an amazing Grantaire! | ||||||||||
| Lola-Grace |
Indeedy
#It's better than an opera-aaah# set me a-chuckling 
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| Eppie-Sue |
I suppose most of you know the 23rd birthday video, but the wonderful Gulnare from the Abaiss� Forums has sent me the link and I'm watching it over and over again. Of course it's the old cast but I adore their enthusiasm and love for the show (and DT is such a fangirl  )...
http://www.theatre247.tv/ somewhere on the right side. |
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| Madeleine |
I love that video.
I remember noticing how excited DT was about the show he first time I watched that video. Its not surprising that he makes such a good Enjolras, when he is so passionate in real life. |
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| KatyRoseLand |
Okay, I've lurked here for ages but I thought I'd finally register, which I've been putting off because I didn't feel like I knew enough about the show to have anything useful to say, and I am quite irrationally excited that my review got quoted on here... So anyway, hi everyone.
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| Madeleine |
Hello! Thank you very much for the review!
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| Eppie-Sue |
As long as he's passionate about Les Mis, I don't care about the real life. Ah, I love the clip, although I can't bring myself to listen to Sarich's voice. But I go and quote "It's amazing, it's the most epic, deep, dark, difficult, romantic, beautiful, funny... OH it's... it's literally got everything" at random moments.
Oh, KatyRoseLand, welcome! Your review was great, I hope you didn't mind me quoting some passages
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| KatyRoseLand |
Not at all! Quote away!
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| tashmercer |
Hey does anyone know if Thaxton is still doing the jump/legs with the new cast? I cant believe I missed seeing that last time!
Any more goss on the new cast? |
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| Eppie-Sue |
he'd better. but seeing as he has done The Jump for the entire past year and his knees and ankles still seem to be fine, there's no reason why he shouldn't, except for Brammer being afraid he might jump on top of him (Enjolras/Marius fans rejoice...). It is potentially dangerous. And it's made of win.
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| tashmercer |
ha ha ha. It [/i]IS made of win and I'll be so upset if he's canned it btw Eppie-Sue where did you hear
what a champ
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| Eppie-Sue |
The epic DT quote can be found here.
I'm sure he hasn't canned it. I have yet to experience it from a BB seat. And I second the call for more reviews. Not only on the new cast but on everything and everyone. And it's only three weeks until the "Les Mis In Concert" thing with the whole 08/09 cast - is anybody going?! Go ahead, make my day, tell me you are so I can be eternally jealous... |
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| Madeleine |
I go exactly one month today so you can expect a long, detailed review from me, if anybody is interested that is. 
(Of course, knowing me, it will ignore the leads and concentrate on little things my favourite ensemble members do!) 
I wish I was going to that concert. But its a bit too far away for me and I didn't feel strongly enough about it to start booking hotels and long expensive journeys, when I can see the actual show for much less, and in a day trip. Plus, I'm finally starting to accept the fact that the 2008/9 cast have gone and seeing them in concert will bring it all back and I'll get sad again.
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| Eppie-Sue |
In Memoriam of the old cast:
Prologue Look Down/The Robbery/Javert's Intervention ABC Caf�/Red & Black/DYHTPS As for the last two videos: Watch out for wonderful Eponine/Montparnasse interaction in every sort and shape, sexy flag twirling, evil cackle (*dies* still glad he got rid of that. but I swear he's on the brink of lunacy there), tons of touching, amazingness, slapping-leaflets-on-rail, much insanity, Enjolras/Combeferre HUG, GoldenRetriever!Thaxton, flag appearing out of nowhere, etc. |
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| MlleTholomy�s |
I-is that 'Ferre touching Enjolras' arm when Marius and Grantaire start acting up? | ||||||||||
| Eppie-Sue |
Yes. I will repeat the initial reaction I had on MSN messenger while watching this:
And besides - while there is a lot of touching going on Combeferre is the only one who can hug E!/touch him in general without being confronted with The Stare.
these London videos make me very happy. And I swear they read FanFiction.
/fangirling off |
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| MlleTholomy�s |
I've been staring at this particular scene for a couple minutes now, and I'm still utterly confused. Who takes the woman in the front into his arms at 7:00? Jehan? A random ami? | ||||||||||
| lesmisloony |
MONTPARNASSE GOT PUNCHED IN THE FACE BY MARIUS HOLY GOD THAT MADE MY DAY. It's for the best I never saw this live, because I'm still laughing out loud and it's halfway through Javert's part. The people around me in the audience would have hated me.
Was that the famous John Jo Flynn, then? If not, he's amazing too. I'm going to assume it was because he's holding himself so amazingly through the whole scene. *watches the next clip* ETA: Enjy. Gave Grantaire. The Enjolraic Death Glare. It happened. And I lol'd again. Enj loves to touch peoples' shoulders, doesn't he? I love how confrontational Marius gets. He's so full of himself, which is perfect. |
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| Madeleine |
I love the punch, it always makes me giggle. Especially the way Jon used to react afterwards, having hurt his hand quite badly!
My friend and I were trying to work out who Montparnasse was because he is too tall to be John Jo Flynn, and his face is very different. We think its Killian Donnelly, swing, who is indeed brilliant.
Back in October, when John Jo was playing Enjolras, another swing, Mark Hedges, was playing Montparnasse and couldn't have looked more wrong in the role! He looked very cute, almost like a little teddy bear...it just didn't work for me! Killian looks much better in the role.
I spent most of that show laughing to myself, not only at cute Montparnasse, but at the fact that John Jo Flynn was the shortest student, which doesn't usually matter but as Enjolras it took some adjusting to, when you're used to DT towering over them all.
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| Elbow |
It is Killian Donnelly, for sure.
He's an absolutely brilliant (and my personal favourite) swing, but I'm still sad it's not John Jo. These videos make me happy. |
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| lesmisloony |
So I still haven't seen John Jo Flynn's Montparnasse. 
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| Madeleine |
I live in hope that he will be back in the near future to play it again. He just has to. I can't imagine anybody else ever playing the role that well. But you have heard his Italian Montparnasse which is so epic that it almost makes up for it surely?
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| lesmisloony |
YES.
And that is the most exposure to him I've ever had. That and his picture in my evil friend's souvenir brochure. |
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| Elbow |
There is definitely a video with John Jo in that exists, but no one's uploaded the bits with Montparnasse in. But he's in the one on youtube where Dugdale's understudying Thaxton in One Day More. I want to get my hands on that whole video, I really like Mark Dugdale and it would be nice to have John Jo's Montparnasse on film, as he really is quite marvelous. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IBHrXnSZZU He is the unfortunate one dressed as the hungarian. He's only a blob though. Humph. |
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| Madeleine |
Unfortunately it is only a highlights video.
I don't have it but I'm told it concentrates on Jonathan Williams as Valjean and Earl Carpenter as Javert. There is barely any Dugdale which is such a shame. Hopefully there is a little bit of John Jo as Montparnasse featured. |
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| Elbow |
Damn! That's disappointing. Hopefully some footage will surface at some point then.
Also, I don't know if anyone saw this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2DUBQhfu_I ? Killian as Javert! Awesome. |
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| marlalp |
I think it has a clip of the Attack on Rue Plumet with Montparnasse, but it's very low quality so you can't see much. I'll put it up in a little bit. EDIT: Here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YFTBiCpHbc |
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| Eppie-Sue |
You are AWESOME for putting these up.
ETA: *DEAD* Night of Anguish - Drink With me THE HUG. FOREHEAD TOUCHING. I have truly died and gone to heaven. ETA: Oh, and R touches The Vest. *dies again* ETA: btw. pouty/offended!Grantaire at 2:50. ahahahahaa. Oh and: HOLD YOURSELVES IN READINESS! |
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| Madeleine |
*joins Eppie-Sue with the dying*
Yes, THANK YOU!
I may actually have squealed out loud at 'Hold yourselves in readiness!' I'm way too excited by this video
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| lesmisloony |
Haha, I know it's not very much, but I still adore that clip. Thanks so much for uploading it!
In watching that second clip I decided I must be a little bit special. Musical!�ponine puts me in a bad mood, but then Valjean arrived and I squeed because I was excited to see him... What can I say? Jean Jean is a BAMF. Feuilly looks like a poor man's Michael Ball. Also, I've been very amused by Marius lately. My slashy heart was rejoicing at all the R/Enj I was witnessing, and then Marius grabs poor suffering Grantaire and is like, "Hey, listen to me I have problems you know?" and R is like "...I gotta go." That's SO Marius. He's such a moron... yet I kind of love him. |
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| Elbow |
What I really like about John Jo is how audible and clear his voice is. He's like a siren.
Like here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE4ZyIdRkrU You can here him above everyone else at the beginning. |
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| Eppie-Sue |
Yes, it's pretty fabulous. We summed it up as: "I JUST GOT TOUCHED BY THE HANDS OF GOD AND YOU EXPECT ME TO CARE FOR YOUR PETTY COMPLAINTS?" but yeah. "Feuilly" was actually u/s Marius and everyone commented on how much he looked like a (very) young Michael Ball in that role. And as for slashy, well, it can't get much better than DT's E!, I suppose. Bless him. |
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| lesmisloony |
Oh my gosh. Hahaha... was he sitting on a microphone or something? My word. Well, now I've heard him sing REALLY LOUDLY and with an Italian accent and I've seen a picture and a tiny video. Sigh. I need more of this guy in my life. |
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| eponine5 |
YES! I saw him understudy Marius and for the entire duration of the show I mentally referred to him as mini!Michael Ball. I thought of his Feuilly that way too in all the later performances, actually. I love that Look Down clip. The person must have been recording from row BB, because Montparnasse sits on the side wall practically right above those seats. And what is this 08-09 cast concert people have been talking about? 
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| Eppie-Sue |
On the 26th July, the 08/09 Cast will do Les Mis In Concert with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra... on the Isle Of Wight. This is from Earl Carpenter's Site: http://www.earlcarpenter.com/Site/Miz_PR.html
And this is the Cast
Allyson Brown Natalie Caswell Greg Castiglioni Earl Carpenter Lucinda Collins Leanne Dobinson Killian Donnelly Mark Dugdale John Jo Flynn Matthew Gent Lorraine Graham Katy Hanna Mark Hedges Keith Anthony Higham Gavin James Jimmy Johnston Sophie Josslyn Jackie Marks George Miller Brenda Moore Gareth Nash Helen Owen Jon Robyns Rebecca Seale David Shannon Simon Shorten Nancy Sullivan David Thaxton Tabitha Webb Jonathan Williams Richard Woodford : ) Please tell me someone is getting tickets and this will be recorded! |
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| lesmisloony |
I second that plea.
Surely there's a smiley to back me up...  That works.
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| Madeleine |
He does, I love that bit. Although its kind of hard to see him when you're sat in BB as he is right above you, which is such a shame! I getting more and more irritated about not being able to make that concert. If only I had some money (although to be fair I did have money...I just spent it all on Les Mis tickets ) and didn't live up north.
I really hope a recording surfaces at some point. |
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| Elbow |
I just shamelessly stare when I'm in row BB. I mean, that's what they're there for right, to look at? That's what I tell myself anyway.
Oh, and I've got tickets to the IOW concert. It will be recorded. And photos will be taken. Muahaha. |
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| lesmisloony |
...I love you. | ||||||||||
| Eppie-Sue |
You're my new favourite person, you know that, right? What I would give to be at the concert... I'm still desperately hoping that there's going to be a legit recording (since Les Mis in now Teh Musical With Teh Song From Teh Boyle or something... I mean... being voted Britain's Most Popular Musical must have its benefits!) with actual VIDEO but THANK YOU SO MUCH ANYWAY. |
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| tashmercer |
Can't wait for you to tell us all about it! |
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| Madeleine |
Well I was a bit naughty today! I was meant to be seeing Alls Well That Ends Well at the National Theatre but decided late last night that I couldn't stay away from Les Mis any longer (I lasted a whole 3 weeks , and was meant to be having a break from the show until early August).
I got a last minute cheap dress circle slip seat which had a great view and I noticed lots of things that I've never seen before, having almost always sat in row BB. I saw the whole of the new cast, with the exception of Grantaire, who was played by the wonderful Jeff Nicholson.
Generally they were very, very good. Although I have issues with a couple of them. No doubt I'll write up some kind of review out of the fangirl ramblings I wrote on the train journey home, which I'd be happy to post here if anybody is interested?
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| MlleTholomy�s |
I'd love you if you did. |
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| Eppie-Sue |
breathe, Eppie, breathe.
OMG MADELEINE PLEASE DO PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. with lots of emphasis on DT. *cough* |
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| Madeleine |
I'll take that as a yes then?
I'll put something up tomorrow.
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| Eppie-Sue |
TO-EFFING-MORROW?!
can't wait for it. although I died a little when I saw you had posted again and then I realised it was just about putting the review up tomorrow. Which is totally fine but ooooh much dying over here.
Thank you. |
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| tashmercer |
oooh! Yes please!! Cant wait to hear if the "Legs and Jump" are still in!!!!
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| Jaym |
But then, there is much dying in Les Mis too, so it's totally appropriate =D Anyway, yes, I'm dying to read your review too. |
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| tashmercer |
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGQUfPhiEcU
cheers to the legend who posted this
Not a very macho sounding Marius. He even sounds young! Looking forward to reading that review. Hopefully, the new combo works well and Im just being fussy. Worst case scenario, at least an ordinary Marius will mean more perve-time on Thaxton -with Jon Robyns there were just too many sexy men on stage at once!!
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| Madeleine |
Sorry I didn't post this yesterday, I got distracted.
I'll warn you now, this is going to be very muddled and badly written as I don't have time to write a proper review so you're just getting my random thoughts, in a very random order!
Also, I apologise in advance for the Thaxton and Dugdale fangirling that is bound to occur. I adored Rebecca Seale as Fantine. She had me in tears in ATEOTD, which has never happened before...she was so sad and pathetic. She could barely bring herself to say �with a husband at home and a bit on the side�. She sang IDAD really well, and hit all the notes brilliantly. Allyson Brown often sounded like she was struggling with the low notes, but Rebecca made it sound effortless. For anybody who saw her appearance on This Morning- please don't judge her on that alone. She didn't come across well and/or was having an off day. She is actually a great Fantine. I was even happy to see her appear again during the Epilogue, when I have felt nothing at that point over the last year. I thought the new Montparnasse (Thomas Camilleri) was totally forgettable. John Jo Flynn had everything about that character down perfectly: the movement, the voice, the facial expressions. Montparnasse is one of my favourites in the book but in the musical it seems very easy for him to fade into the background unnoticed. This was not the case with John Jo as he really stood out, but if I hadn't been specifically watching Camilleri, I just wouldn't have noticed him. 
I LOVED Jeff Nicholson as Grantaire. He could seriously rival Richard Woodford there. His whole 'Don Juan' part in Red and Black was perfect, funny-but not too silly, as it sometimes can be. He was even better than I remember him being in the 2006/7 cast. If only he was playing the role all the time this year. Alistair Brammer as Marius and Katie Hall as Cosette were both very bland. They had outstanding voices though. The acting just didn�t work for me, Katie in particular. I also found her incredibly irritating and I�m usually a big Cosette fan. Alistair was adorable, totally looked the part, and wasn�t by any means bad...he just failed to sparkle, in the way that Jon Robyns and plenty of former Marii have. I think the problem was that they are both very young and their inexperience showed. They weren't by any means dire, but put them up on a stage with the likes of David Thaxton, Nancy Sullivan and Earl Carpenter, and they are completely out-sung and out-acted. Nancy Sullivan was on top form. I was thinking during the interval, I've never seen her give less than 100%, either in her acting, or vocally. You can always rely on her to give an outstanding performance. I thought DT almost looked like he was flirting with Grantaire when he fixed him with The Stare after �Opera� in the Cafe scene. There was just something about the way he was looking at him...or maybe I�ve just been reading too much fan fiction and I'm just seeing things I want to see.
I love how Mark Dugdale was playing Courfeyrac as a mini Enjolras at times. He was never far behind Enjolras and had his own version of The Stare which he used on anybody who was misbehaving. He was very intense, kept getting so angry about things, and his �SHOOT THE BASTARD� gets fiercer every time I go. He really is a star and I have to see him play Enjolras as soon as possible. Courfeyrac is now the only one to bang his gun before Drink with Me, which was quite funny when they all turned to stare at him. DT's 'Courfeyrac...you take the watch' wasn't as fierce as I've heard it in the past, and I couldn't see Dugdale's face well enough to see if he did his usual hurt look after being shouted at.
I forgot to watch for The Legs during The Jump, and am thoroughly ashamed of myself. I don�t even remember where I was looking at the time! I'll be sat about a foot away from Alistair's head next time I'm there, so no doubt I'll notice The Jump then.
Daniella Gibb and AJ Callaghan were brilliant as urchins. I ended up watching those characters more than usual. Also, Daniella�s whore in Lovely Ladies was fantastic-she was completely deranged and it was just great. She was certainly one of the stand outs in the new ensemble. Lorraine Bruce as Mme Thenardier was brilliant. She was so, so funny and she looked very imposing. She did �or I�ll forget to be nice� well and got a laugh, which Jackie Marks never really seemed to do last year. Although I've never heard anybody deliver that line quite as well as Jenny Galloway did in the TAC. Martin Ball as Thenardier was very good, but I preferred Jimmy Johnston and Greg Castiglioni last year, and I can�t put my finger on the reason why. Perhaps it was that he didn't come across as evil enough. 
Dylan Williams, the new Joly, is the cutest little thing. I can see myself watching him a lot over the next year. After Grantaire�s verse in Drink with Me, Enjolras held his hand out for Grantaire�s bottle in a �I think you�ve had enough, don�t you?� way. Grantaire gave it to him, and they did the usual hugging thing. Enjolras then walked away, looking at the bottle with disgust, before putting it on the table. I think they were stood up for the hugging, which I didn�t like as much, since Jeff is insanely tall and made even DT look small. It just didn't look right. Bring Him Home sounded very good, although I wasn�t paying much attention as I was too busy watch DT sitting running his hands through his hair and looking thoughtful on the top of the barricade...very, very distracting! I know this happens all the time but I�d never seen it before as I�m always sat virtually under the stage. When Enjolras was shot he disappeared behind the barricade and was holding his hand out to be pulled back up. Grantaire was inches away from grabbing hold of his hand to pull him back up, when he was shot too. I thought that was a nice touch, and very sad. It kind of bothered me, when the students appeared in Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, that Courfeyrac and Combeferre were almost at the end of the line, and really far away from Enjolras. I always think they should be on either side of him, or at least near the middle. But maybe thats just me being silly.
The Enjolras/Marius relationship is very different and there is a very obvious age gap. Its more like a big brother/little brother relationship now, rather than good friends. I suppose that makes more sense when DT is constantly getting at Marius and telling him off. There was a nice fight over ammunition, but possibly not as fierce as the ones Jon and DT used to have. The Finale didn't have the same effect on me as it usually does. Either because I wasn't sat as close as usual, or because Alistair and Katie's acting really wasn't working for me.
I managed to catch Mark Dugdale after the show and can safely say that he is a sweetheart, and the nicest person I've ever met at a stage door. There is a very, very new Facebook group for Mark, if there happens to be any other fans around.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=26516891241#/group.php?gid=101837448699 I'm so sorry, that was horribly long. Well done if you made it to the end! I hope I wasn't too mean about certain people either.
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| Elbow |
I'm so glad other people like Dugdale, he's one of my absolute favourites in the cast and has such a stand out voice. AND he's utterly delightful off stage.
I actually quite liked Alistair and Katie as Marius and Cosette, I thought their awkwardness was sort of sweet. I didn't like the new Cosette wig though. But that's just me being picky. Does anyone know what's going on with the new Grantaire? Seems like he's never there. I saw Jeff playing Grantaire when I saw it too, and it seems a lot of people have. Where IS New Grantaire?? And where IS my programme so I can remember the name of New Grantaire!? |
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| Madeleine |
Yay! Another Dugdale fan!
I did actually like Katie's wig, it looks better longer. Martin Neely is Grantaire. I think he injured himself not long into this cast's run and Jeff covered for a while. Not sure where he was on Saturday.
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| Eppie-Sue |
Yeah. Martin Neely sprained his ankle at the second or third performance if I remember correctly. Which is, albeit painful, rather funny as Grantaire is really the only student on stage who is not constantly running around on that barricade (let alone doing The Jump).
I'm kinda glad Jeff is covering, for completely random reasons. I like his voice. I know he understands the part. AND he and DT have had some performances as Grantaire and Enjolras from 2005-2007 when DT was still u/s Enjolras, so you bet they're great together. Madeleine, thank you for the review! I'm so glad you enjoyed Rebecca Seale's performance, can't wait to see a softer Fantine that actually brings you to tears instead of going "DIE FANTINE DIE" for half an hour. Oh 'Parnasse. that's all I'm going to say.
love how Nancy, who is really still very young, and DT, who has never done anything else on the West End except Les Mis, are considered to be "old hands" in this business and yes, they never, ever fail to amaze.
Have mentioned before that I like the new dynamics between David!!Enjolras and Alistair!Marius. It works for me, as long as DT does not get overly protective of Marius (which he doesn't, apparently). As for the HAND thing after E! gets shot. sigh. Stage direction. I think it's been in almost every production and I still think it's wrong. I repeat myself but: He built a barricade. He shot at the National Guard. Then he climbed the effing barricade in his shiny vest (of DOOOM) and waved a HUGE RED FLAG. What did he reckon was going to happen?! so I still interpret it as a final good-bye and not a "HELP! SAVE ME! I'M SHOT! I TOTALLY DIDN'T EXPECT THAT TO HAPPEN AND NOW IT HURTS! HELP!"-outstretched hand. *cough* Um, YES at Combeferre and Courfeyrac having to be the ones who stand next to Enjolras. YES. Or at least Combeferre (Madeleine, I know you love Courfeyrac but Ferre, dear, old Ferre, is not getting enough love).
Once again, thank you so much for the review, although now - finally - I would like to point out that forgetting to watch The Legs during The Jump is inexcusable. :mrgreen |
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| Madeleine |
I almost spat water out all over the my laptop reading that. (its The Shiny Vest of Doom, its gets me every time )
But you're completely right of course.
I try to watch Combeferre more every time, but tend to get distracted by Courfeyrac and Enjolras.
Gavin James is an excellent Combeferre though, I must say. I'm very happy that he stayed.
*hangs head in shame* As soon as I started scribbling notes down on the train and realised I hadn't watched The Legs during The Jump I thought, 'Eppie-Sue is going to kill me!'
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| Elbow |
I love how crap (and I say crap in the nicest possible way) musical Enjolras is "Hey guys, you er... hold the guns and shit and I'll wave this massive red flag and get killed first! But not before I do this massive jump! Weeee!"
And what with watching John Jo perfectly arranging his chair to die upon in slow motion, that pretty much ruins the whole final battle for me, in the best possible way. Oh woe, come back John Jo, I loved your over dramatic chair arranging death. |
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| flying_pigs |
Alistair is growing on me!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8-VfJfQPps |
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| Eppie-Sue |
As good as he is on certain parts, Alistair sounds like Blacklick Valley's Little Marius sometimes. I'M SORRY HE DOES.
and much love for Jeff!Grantaire. I don't want to wish anything bad on Neely, I swear, but I really want to see Jeff as R. And aaaaw, DT!Enjolras. I can never, ever get enough of that.
AND YES JOHN JO COME BACK PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. |
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| Madeleine |
YES! I also decided a couple of minutes ago that he reminds me of Jon Lee vocally, which really isn't a good thing.
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| flying_pigs |
Yeah he reminds me of Jon Lee in parts too which is never a good thing. But there is something different about his voice which I'm quite drawn too. It might just be how it often sounds quite naive, which works. Oh and more DT love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9B0PFroOfQ |
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| lesmisloony |
D: D: D: D: D: I love John Jo Flynn so much and I've never even seen his performance. D: |
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| MlleTholomy�s |
No-one can be as bad as him though. It's just not possible. |
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| KatyRoseLand |
Okay, since people seemed to appreciate my last review, I thought I'd write one from yesterday's show, a month after the last one.
The only understudy was Jonathan Williams as Jean Valjean. Why is it that I keep going on Tuesdays to see David Shannon and getting Jonathan Williams? This will be shorter. I think I'll do it character by character unlike my last one. Jonathan Williams as Valjean: He was not on top form last night, he sounded very uncomfortable throughout Bring Him Home and cracked on the last note. He also has, as I said in my last review, some really, really strange facial expressions. However, he is very enthusiastic and his Valjean is much more... Gentle Giant-y than some of the others I've seen. I like him but I would have preferred to have seen David Shannon. Earl Carpenter as Javert: He seems to have regressed a bit in terms of the speak singing (there was a time when he would literally speak sing the ends of all his lines but he stopped doing that for a while) but for some reason, it just works for his Javert. He's got such an amazing voice and I feel like he really understands Javert. His Stars was incredible, as always, as was his Suicide. Rebecca Seale as Fantine: I just... don't like her. She only has two facial expressions (furrowed brows and raised brows) and her voice doesn't do it for me. Since she isn't onstage much, it doesn't bother me too much, but after seeing a Fantine whom I loved (yes, Allyson Brown) she's just a letdown. I hope she'll get better with time though. Alistair Brammer as Marius: He is so young. I can't even begin to explain or even fathom for myself the depth of the difference his age makes in his relationships with all the other characters. The difference is just immense. He is never going to be my favourite Marius, he hasn't got the strongest voice and, like Rebecca Seale, seems to have limited facial expressions at his disposal (his are Befuddled Marius, as seen during ALFOR, and Seriously Annoyed Marius, as seen during... well... most of the rest of the show) but he is SO enthusiastic, and I do think that makes him perfectly bearable. Also, I remember reading on here once something about someone wishing that Marius would act quite disgusted by Jean Valjean after his confession, and would sort of spit out the "For the sake of COSETTE" etc, and Alistair Brammer does that in a major way. He has improved in the last month, and hopefully he will continue to do so. Katie Hall as Cosette: She's just perfect. I can't even say anything bad about her. Every note is perfect and every acting choice is perfect. She makes me like Cosette. There aren't even any other words for it, she's just... perfect. David Thaxton as Enjolras: See Katie Hall. Only he doesn't make me like Cosette particularly, although I'm sure if he ever played Cosette he'd be amazing! He does, however, make me LOVE Enjolras, and for someone who came out of the theatre the first couple of times I saw it wondering which one Enjolras was (shameful, I know!) that's actually quite important. He makes him stand out and his new dynamic with Marius and Grantaire are so interesting. He's just amazing. Nancy Sullivan as Eponine: I know I shouldn't say this on here, but I'm a little bit of an Eppy-bopper (or maybe even a lot of an Eppy-bopper) and Nancy is wonderful. In a way, I wish I hadn't seen the show on Broadway because Nancy would absolutely be my favourite Eponine if it weren't for Megan McGinnis, whose performance I can hardly even remember because it was only my second time seeing it, but I remember her being incredible. Nancy's Eponine has so much warmth and character, but she's got the tomboy edge and she's very... real. She kissed Alistair Brammer during ALFOR this time, or at least tried to. At this point he was being, as I mentioned, Befuddled Marius, and he spent pretty much the whole song looking as though he didn't have a clue what was going on. When she kissed him, he sat there like a lemon. His facial expression didn't even change. Martin Ball and Lorraine Bruce as the Thenardiers: They are really good. I will never like the characters but they make them as unannoying as they can be. Martin Ball was much better vocally this time than last time and the end of Dog Eat Dog was great and very powerful. Martin Neely as Grantaire: I'm sorry, he's just weirdly old, compared with Enjolras and especially with Marius. I really think he comes across like a dad who is like "Hey, I'm going to hang out with all you crazy kids, give me the 411, what are you up to today? Talking of battles to be won? Cool!" It's just weird. I really like him other than that, he's got a great voice and he acts well, but his age compared with such young leads just looks odd. Random other notes: Special mention to Rhianna Hosker as young Cosette. She actually acted. I've never seen a young Cosette do that before. Also, the new Joly, Dylan Williams, is as cute as a button. Mark Dugdale as Courfeyrac is amazing, much as I always hope David Thaxton will be on, I wouldn't be at all averse to seeing Mark Dugdale's Enjolras again. Joe Evans as Jean Prouvaire is really great, he's got so many facial expressions but not in a bad, over-acty way, just in a really good way. I'd really like to see Sophie Josslyn as Fantine. She's got such a great voice. Now that I've finally worked out what Drink With Me is about, I like it a lot more! Okay, that's it for now. I might think of more later. |
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| Eppie-Sue |
ooooooooooooooooh thank you for the review!!
So, I know everyone's going to go "Here she goes again!" at me, BUT could you explain the new "Enjolras - Marius" / "Enjolras - Grantaire" dynamics a bit more? I've heard people mentioning the "older brother - younger brother" (mentor) -thingy re: E! and doltboy (glad to hear Brammer's improving), which I'm not sure I like, but ah, well... but not that much about E! and R. And I know this will sound really, really mean, but I want to see Jeff as Grantaire sooo badly. I mean, of course I don't wish for Neely to be ill and I'm glad to hear he's recovered, but... I want Jeff. And old!Grantaire freaks me out. Seriously. (random, fangirl-y questions: from the "Silliest things you've heard people say about Les Mis" I gather that DT is still doing The Jump? What about, um, The Fight with Marius last night? And THE Final Battle? )
you're my hero, thank you again! ETA: and people - how utterly fantastic is it that we have an amazing Enjolras and a truly great u/s Enjolras two years in a row? |
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| KatyRoseLand |
It is indeed fantastic that we have David Thaxton and Mark Dugdale. They're both so incredible. DT is still doing The Jump, I will be so unhappy if he ever stops doing that! I don't know what you mean about The Fight with Marius or the Final Battle... well, obviously I know what the Final Battle is, but yeah. If you tell me what you mean I'm more than happy to answer
I soooo want to see Jeff as Grantaire. I also really want to see George Miller as Grantaire because I love him in the ensemble (especially his "prrrrrostitute"... I can't even begin to imagine his "operrrra"!) Also, Martin Neely pronounces Juan "Huan", as it should be, I guess, but I'm really used to Richard Woodford's "Joo-an" so it is disconcerting. I like the new dynamic with Enjolras and Marius, you really get the impression that Marius is a bit in awe of Enjolras (rightfully so) and has always followed everything he's said. He's not Enjolras' best friend or right hand man anymore, he's a boy that Enjolras feels a duty to protect. When Marius gets injured, that especially comes across. He is just like his big brother. As I said in my last review, in the scene where Marius tells Enjolras about Cosette, when he says "Marius, you're no longer a child" because of the new dynamic, you get the impression he's known him since he was a child. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if people who didn't know the story thought Enjolras actually was Marius' big brother. The whole scene is just so different now, it really looks like after years of speaking to Enjolras when spoken to, Marius finally answers back with "Had you been there tonight..." etc, finally fighting his corner, in a way. It does make Enjolras seem very different as a character. I do love how, during One Day More, when Marius comes up and sings "My place is here, I fight with you" David Thaxton gives him a look like "Well, duh". I am not such a big fan of the new Enjolras and Grantaire dynamic. You know how with Richard Woodford as Grantaire, you really got the impression they knew about the fandom and the Enjolras/Grantaire pairing, and they were quite... umm... affectionate, towards the end, like with Richard Woodford as Grantaire shouting "No!" as Enjolras fell over the barricade, and the forehead touching, and the face stroking... there's nothing like that with Martin Neely. They hug when Martin gives him the bottle, but it's not a very emotional hug. There's really no sense of any more of a relationship (by that, I mean in a non-romantic sense!!) between Enjolras and Grantaire than between Enjolras and any of the others. It's just really different. Hope that's an okay explanation, as I said, I can hardly fathom it in my own head so it's hard to put it into words! |
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| Eppie-Sue |
[warning: the next post contains much tired and over-the-top fangirling]
That made me laugh so hard, you have no idea xD but the whole brother thing? Kill it with fire. bah. and:
Oh, I miss old E!/R. They were so slashy and it was epic. AND I MISS THE HUG. um. THE Final Battle = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p4XzFlgElg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYk_g6r-4uA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyVSSfq6Btc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9B0PFroOfQ and THE FIGHT is this. It's after Marius goes "I'LL DO SOMETHING RANDOM NOW. I'LL COLLECT BULLETS. WITH MY BODY." and Enjolras is all "WTF." It was really physical between DT and Jon Robyns, to the point that we pondered if he might a) shove him into the orchestra pit or b) knock him out one day. It helped that Jon Robyns was quite tall and about the same built as DT. and it looked very... lion-y. But someone said it wasn't as tough now because of Alistair Brammer... 
And when does Jeff say "prostitute"? He's not Bamatabois, is he? As far as I know, George Miller has still got that part. Although I'd kill to see Jeff!Bamatabois... oh and for some Jeff!Grantaire "opera": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8-VfJfQPps
ah. Was there any Combeferre/Enjolras interaction, though? *random fangirl question* ETA: bwuhuhuhuh. I can so see him leaving after this season. No shiny vest in Look Down/Red&Black/DYHTPS anymore, no FIGHT, no HUG... what's next? No Jump? |
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| KatyRoseLand |
Ahh, I know what you mean now. Actually, DT did get a bit physical grabbing Alistair Brammer off the barricade before he could climb over it, but with Jon Robyns it was like "No, you're my best friend! You can't die!!" whereas with Alistair Brammer it's more like "You STUPID boy, I told your parents I'd protect you if I led you into my life of revolutionary..ness, and protect you I shall! Get down from there, you idiot!" if that makes sense. The last time I saw it, DT actually grabbed Alistair in a bit of an inappropriate place by accident at that point. It was quite funny. I was talking about George Miller's "prrrrostitute", sorry, did I type Jeff instead of George? I was saying how much I want to see Jeff as Grantaire but I'd also like to see George, as apparently he's second understudy. There's quite a bit of Combeferre/Enjolras interaction (when Courfeyrac isn't surgically attached to Enjolras that is!!). I want them to bring the shiny vest back. Why would they get rid of it? Why? The new one is so boring! |
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| MlleTholomy�s |
Now, I'm reduced to a squealing pile of mush. I'm sorry for mocking you, Jehannybear. <33. |
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| Madeleine |
Thanks KatyRoseLand, I really enjoyed reading that.
I saw George Miller as Grantaire back in December (at a very interesting show when one third of the cast were off. They all seemed to be filling in for each other in random little parts, and I've never seen so many empty spaces in the One Day More triangle!) and he was one of the best I've seen. The interaction between him and Enjolras in Drink with Me was just beautiful. I'll never forget the way he pushed his bottle at DT. It was similar to Keith Anthony Higham actually. I'm very interested to see Martin Neely as I keep hearing negative comments about him. Part of me is hoping to get Jeff or George again next time though, because I know they're both amazing. The Dugdale love is making me very, very happy.
We are indeed very lucky to have both him and DT. Neither of them are ever allowed to leave.
Less than two weeks until I go again, but time is going too slowly.
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| KatyRoseLand |
Glad you enjoyed reading it
I'm going again on Wednesday and it still feels like way too far away! At the stage door once, I heard someone say to George Miller "I'm so glad you didn't leave at cast change!" and he said "I'm never leaving, they'll have to throw me out if they want me to leave!" and that made me happy. I wish DT and Mark Dugdale would say the same. They're so great. Once when I saw the show there were loads of understudies and lots of ensemble members missing, with only one or two swings on covering lots of different tracks. The line during ECAET looked incredibly short! I so admire the swings in Les Mis, though. They can just do everything. With Martin Neely, I really don't want to be negative about him because he's not bad at all, he's just really different from anyone I've seen in the role before (bearing in mind that I've really only seen Richard Woodford and Keith Anthony Higham, because I wouldn't have known which one Grantaire was the first couple of times I saw it if he'd worn a name tag and hit me in the face) in that he is older than the other students, or at least, he looks older. That's the only negative thing about him. And it's not exactly negative, it's just a different interpretation I guess, and one that I'm not entirely enthusiastic about. |
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| Madeleine |
Brilliant! You're worse than me. I'm going 4 times over the summer which should be be fun.
Quite right too! I'd really like to catch George, but I always seem to miss him. Last time he came out of stage door on his phone so I couldn't exactly stop him. I'd be very happy if all three of them stayed forever.
I love the Les Mis swings. Last time I was there, only Mark Hedges was on, covering Jeff's track while he was on for Grantaire, and I really found myself missing the others. You know you go too often when you're missing the swings.
I heard it was a very different interpretation and thats why I'm worried. I can't fault how Jeff Nicholson, Richard Woodford, Keith Anthony Higham and George Miller have all played it over the last few years and as far as I'm concerned they were all brilliant. I guess the E/R relationship is important to me, and I'm not liking how this new one sounds.
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| KatyRoseLand |
I only have two more booked in the near future (Wednesday, and I'm going in August for one of those Red Letter Day backstage tour things) but I just can't stay away, if there's a day when I'm not busy I'm like "I think I'll go to Les Mis today!" which is the good thing about living close to London. I would like to start booking more in advance though, it would give me something to look forward to all the time! I've never caught George Miller at the stage door. He runs off really quickly, and the only times other people have caught him, DT or someone else amazing comes out of the stage door and then I miss George!
I know! I said to Mark Hedges at the stage door once "I'm always so glad when you're on" and he said "I'm always on!" and it really does seem like that. I think they must have some kind of system where each swing gets at least one show a week because I've never seen a performance with no swings. I find it so interesting to watch them, especially when they're covering more than one track.
The E/R relationship has become important to me over the past few months (since I started coming on here and actually worked out which one was Grantaire!) and Richard Woodford and Keith Anthony Higham both played the role so wonderfully, and had great chemistry with DT. I really think that there just isn't a relationship between E and R anymore, which is very sad. The whole cast feels different now though, with the new ensemble, as quite a few of them are a bit older and the feel of all their relationships with each other feels different, but I think that's probably because they haven't all been working together for very long. I'm just hoping the E/R relationship will develop as Martin Neely gets used to the role. |
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| Madeleine |
Oh you lucky thing. I'm stuck up north and if I decided to go at the last minute it would cost me around �100 on the train. From the end of September I'll be living very near London so it won't be an issue anymore.
The annoying thing is that he even paused a little when he appeared and would have been so easily to catch if he hadn't been on his phone. Maybe next time!
He really does always seem to be on, more so than the other swings. I was lucky enough to see his Thenardier too, so he must be the Les Mis actor who I have seen play the most roles! I saw somebody talking to him once at stage door and he seemed lovely. Killian has to be my favourite swing though.
That is indeed very sad. Hopefully it will get better, but it sounds like Martin would have to dramatically change his interpretation, which is fairly unlikely. (after all, we know it isn't down to DT, so it must be Martin)
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| Eppie-Sue |
maybe we should have an official "London Les Mis Gushing Thread" . I'd suggest a "DT fangirling thread", too, but that would be a bit ... creepy?!
... wait, would it? Madeleine, KatyRoseLand, we have to meet up once I've moved to London in a month.
Oh MUCH LOVE! yeah, I love George Miller, too, he's pretty epic. xD And I can so see DT saying that, actually. He's such a fangirl (I keep saying that, but it's true )!
but WHY OH WHY would Martin Neely just change it?! It makes no sense. I mean, how opposed to some E!/R can you be?! Then again, maybe stage direction doesn't let DT be all slashy anymore? I mean, it's not like I want to give him all the credit, but it appears to be all his, doesn't it?! (In u/s times, too ) But they can't go: "Hey, don't do the hug in Drink With Me anymore. It's not manly." That would suck so much and I can't quite imagine that.
But, but, you can't NOT have chemistry with DT. It's physically impossible. I've decided that I can let go of E!/R if we get Combeferre/Enjolras.
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| MlleTholomy�s |
And I can totally forget the absence of Jon Robyns if we get Combeferre/Enjolras. |
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| Madeleine |
We certainly need one, or both, of those threads. A London thread is a must, but I'm sure there is enough DT fangirling going on here to justify a separate topic.
We really do! Like I said, I'm there twice in August, twice in September, at both shows on 31st October, and no doubt I'll be going at least twice a month from November onwards...I'm there a lot so I'm sure we can manage to co-ordinate visits at some point!
It is true! I just love that birthday video where he starts fangirling the show. 'Its amazing. Its the most deep, dark, difficult, romantic...' etc. Bless him.
I heard they had a new resident director so that could explain it. Actually, maybe it is the direction, because even with Jeff last time, it wasn't as slashy as it used to be. I mean, they did the hug but I'm sure they were stood up, and it was a much more manly, distant hug and it just didn't work for me. They seem to have taken a moment in the show that so many of us love, and destroyed it for no good reason.
Since I'm getting more into Combeferre, I may have to work on this too. Either that or just watch/fangirl Courfeyrac to distract myself from the lack of a good E/R relationship.
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| Eppie-Sue |
"IT'S AMAZING! IT'S THE MOST EPIC, DEEP... DARK, DIFFICULT, ROMANTIC, BEAUTIFUL, FUNNY... OH IT'S ... IT'S LITERALLY GOT EVERYTHING! IT'S ... IT'S JUST AN INCREDIBLE STORY!" sorry, more later, I'm off to fangirl some more. |
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| Madeleine |
Yeah, thats the one. You're right, the part in bold should be in bold, or it just isn't the same. *goes to watch the video again*
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| Orestes Fasting |
I know the Broadway ensemble did at times get directed to be less gay. How do I know this? Cameron Mackintosh dropped in on the revival unannounced one night, and saw Drew Sarich grab Jeff Kready for a demonstration of "let's give 'em a screwing they'll never forget." He must've seen it, because it was standard blocking by then, and he must've included it in his subsequent hissyfit, because the next time I saw the show Drew was grabbing Becca Ayers instead. So apparently it wasn't the simulated buttsex Cammack objected to, it was the gay. I'm also pretty sure that the Enjolras/Grantaire snuggling in Drink With Me was significantly toned down after that little visit. |
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| Vanessa20 |
OT
Just out of curiosity: any more info on Cameron's hissyfit and what changes were made as a result? I did notice that between the first time I saw the revival (right after it opened) and the second (many months later), some of the new staging had been changed back to more standard stuff. I don't remember exactly what, though. |
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| Eppie-Sue |
I've said this before but it reminds me of the time when we tried to feed the Enjolras Wikipedia article with information about the subtext (Combeferre/Enjolras, Enjolras/Grantaire, etc it was pretty epic) and were being squashed by some almighty Wikipediatrists who thought they knew better. (if anyone wants to see examples and read up on it: http://lesmis.wikia.com/wiki/Edits_which_barely_missed_becoming_historic)
and now I can so see it happening in the show xD DT: "ENJOLRAS/GRANTAIRE! IT'S RIGHT THERE BEFORE YOUR EYES!" Stage direction: "Noooooo evil evil evil!" DT: "B-but it's subtext!" Stage direction: "NO!" DT: "COMBEFERRE/ENJOLRAS! You can't deny it!" ... |
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| eponine5 |
I saw the new cast yesterday and I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed it! I mean, obviously I was going to because it's les mis, but I was afraid I would constantly be mourning the loss of the old cast, but the performance was amazing anyway (although the best bits of it belong to the old cast )
I think I'll just copy the format of going performer by performer. David Shannon: He's still amazing, and it's great that there's a significant improvement each time I see him. He was especially adorable beside a terrible little cosette (with the little ones what else can you do but laugh ?) and I just think it takes time to grow into the part of Valjean. Now why is he leaving?
Earl Carpenter: As expected, fantastic. I prefer it when he doesn't speak sing, but that's only because his voice is so perfect as I'd happily listen to his speaking voice all day. Someone should commission him to make audio books of fairytales. But I was happy because he sang everything except for about 2 or 3 words and that made them special. Rebecca Seale: I really like her Fantine. She's improved a lot since I saw her as the understudy, and her portrayal is just very soft and innocent. Sure, she might not have that *special spark* or whatever that is, but you can tell that every inch of her performance is pure talent and hard work and I'm glad she's finally got a chance to not be understudy. Nancy Sullivan: Love her! I wasn't as enthusiastic about her Eponine this time last year, but she gets better every time I see her and her interpretation seems to get closer to the book each time also. It's gritty but emotional, and there's no trace of self pity! David Thaxton: Obviously he's I thought it was interesting how the dynamic changed with the new Marius and Grantaire. I didn't get the 'older brother' vibe so much, just a 'I'm leader and who are you again?' type of thing. I am sad about the lack of E/R action though. The age thing didn't bother me, I didn't notice it to be honest, but there was just no chemistry! On the bright side though, what we have got out of the combined new marius-grantaire-enjolras releationship (or lack of) is an Enjolras who is a total loner and I do like how this makes him into a more distant lone leader. Booklike .
Lorraine Bruce/Martin Ball: I really really liked them! Once again we have a Madame T who takes over, but she really is hilarious and terrifying at the same time. Both of them are actually. But what Madame does is she smiles, a lot. Somehow this makes her even more sinister, and I don't think I've heard as much laughing during that first scene since broadway! Alistair Brammer: I liked him more than I was expecting to. He's a very pathetic, adorable marius with curly locks and this makes him passively very good! So he's not the stubborn amazing marius like, say, Hayden Tee, but the way the amis treat him makes him insignificant and cute. Nancy is also a bit gentler to him than she was to Jon Robyns (I swear she visibly melted each time he touched her arm or something). Katie Hall: I hate to single her out (well obviously not really) but she was the biggest disappointment of this new cast. She has a beautiful voice, but I've seen quite a few Cosettes with better, and they could act as well. Okay, that makes me sound mean, because she is still a teenager, but her acting just did nothing for me. If Nancy's Eponine wasn't so book-accurate, there would be real danger of the whole "why did marius choose that one?" dynamic. Other observations: - Thacko still does the jump, although the fight with marius is much smaller
- I really miss montparnasse. The new one is just forgettable, although Nancy did make an effort to bring some Eponine/Parnasse stuff in there. She bit him after the scream to make him let go of her. She bit him! Incidentally, she then spat at Thenardier.
- Thenardier got his lines wrong during Beggars, making the line "everywhere you go, everywhere you go..." For some reason I still find that hilarious - Valjean's trunk in One Day More is bigger now - ATEOFD was amazing! This female ensemble is great! - Jeff Nicholson is back in the cast! I Love him and he needs to be more than Brujon! For one thing, the line of students during ECAET is all uneven without him in the middle as Grantaire
- I loved seeing Amanda Jane Callaghan back in the ensemble too! Shame she's not understudying Eponine again but I need to see her Cosette! It's easy to find Jeff and A J C too because they're simply the tallest and shortest in the cast. Aww! - Forgot to mention Gavroche, I think I saw him last time. If so, he was better last time. - As I mentioned before, the best members of this cast are the ones from the old cast(s) but it's still good. |
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| Eppie-Sue |
oooooooooooooh thank you! You've made me a very happy little Mizzie
And now I'm going to do something unheard of. I'll not just comment on DT. Look at me, I'm being all sophisticated... I just think your review is really insightful. David Shannon: I still have a rather hard time genuinely liking David Shannon, so I hope I'll notice the ongoing improvement when I see the show in a month or so. It's just that I first saw Jonathan Williams in June and he was absolutely amazing there. I know that's not always the case, but he was just so much gentler and his voice that day was perfect. Earl Carpenter: See, I did not actually like him that much in June, but the more I listen to other recordings of him and the more I read in other reviews, the more I really appreciate his Javert. I'll be sad to see him leaving at the end of October, too. Rebecca Seale, Katie Hall: So very glad to hear you liked Rebecca, after the last review I was getting worried. I have to comment on Katie Hall here, too, because it's really strange how those who liked Rebecca didn't like Katie and vice versa! ... odd. Jury's still out on Katie, but I'm not really excited to be seeing her. Nancy Sullivan: I love that girl. And I love how you said in the comment on Katie that if Nancy wasn't that close to book!Eponine there'd be the old "But why doesn't he choose Eponine?"-nonsense. Because it's true. And awww she added a bit of Montparnasse/Eponine? Bless her. David Thaxton: Okay, I've contained myself long enough now. YES! NOOOW I LOVE THE NEW DYNAMICS. I mean, I still miss subext-brought-to-stage but if we get even closer-to-book!DT!Enjolras I'm fine, I was counting on that. As long as there's Combeferre/Enjolras. And the "I'm leader and who are you again?" thing makes me laugh SO MUCH.
Lorraine Bruce/Martin Ball: I'm looking forward to seeing them although I must say that I really loved Jackie Marks and Jimmy Johnston last year. I've heard people say Martin Ball was not evil enough for Th�nardier, has that changed? Alistair Brammer: I think I can live with absolutedoltboy. I still miss Jon Robyns simply because he was a different Marius and... I don't actually know why. But pathetic and adorable works, I guess. As long as he doesn't sound like a sheep... see, I love that there's more of book!Eponine and book!Enjolras now so very much, I'm grinning like a maniac. Yesss for Jeff as Grantaire. We're being unfair to Martin Neely but oh I want Jeff as R.
oh - and yay for The Jump. |
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| Madeleine |
I'm so glad it isn't just me! I wondered if I was being unfair as everybody else seems to love her. Leanne seemed to make her very sweet and endearing, but I just found myself being irritated by Katie, which is a shame as I usually love Cosette.
I COMPLETELY agree with all this. I really need to know AJ's Cosette dates. Jeff is indeed totally wasted as Brujon, but at least we still get to see his awesome Foreman. Ideally he would take over as Javert when Earl leaves...then he wouldn't be wasted.
Thanks for the review!
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| eponine5 |
I found Martin Ball quite creepy, (that might just be because I thought Jimmy Johnston looked like a teddy bear. Pretend I didn't say that.) though I wouldn't say he really played up the evil. That reminds me, there was this very intriguing staging in Master of the House which starts during the slow-motion sequence. He was singing his solo, and as he did so he put a wine bottle...in between his legs.  And afterwards he put a label on it and handed it to one of the customers (possibly George Miller). The bottle was then passed around the cast for the rest of the song, with each cast member sniffing it, making a face, and passing it on. And finally it was the bottle Thenardier drinks out of at the end of the song, which he throws up into his cooking equipment. Is this new? Because I've never noticed it before, though that may be because I've never watched Thenardier before either.
It is indeed a shame that I don't like Katie Hall's Cosette. I wish I could say I don't like her acting choices, but the problem is I didn't actually see any. I loved Leanne's Cosette, and I particularly felt her absence when Katie Hall did nothing other than sing during the 'that was my cry' bit. Leanne was like: Leanne: [um...] that was my cry you heard, Papa. [Now how the heck am I supposed to justify that?!] I was afraid of what they'd do, they ran away when they heard my cry [yeeaah, sure...] (Valjean's line, etc.) Leanne: (grabs Valjean's arm) [look at me when I talk to you!] three men I saw beyond the wall [that oughta distract him] three men in shadow moving fast [can I stop now?] Valjean: This is a warning to us all. Leanne: [Huh?!] Valjean: These are the shadows of the past. Leanne: [Damn.] Katie Hall just sings it. |
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| KatyRoseLand |
That bit in Master of the House is, I think, new. He hands the bottle to Gavin James, by the way. Certainly Jimmy Johnston put the bottle between his legs, but he did so on "it's amazing how it grows!" which he sang in a bit of a... lecherous way, using the bottle as a pretend... umm... male part. He also did the throwing up thing at the end, but I never used to pay much attention during Master of the House so I don't know if the bottle got passed around etc. It's so bizarre, so many people seem to dislike Katie Hall's Cosette but I very strongly disliked Leanne Dobinson's! Did no one else find her weird pronunciation of every word really annoying? And I just didn't think she could act very well. She was so aggressive all the time. I prefer Katie Hall's caring, sweet Cosette. But each to his (or her) own! |
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| flying_pigs |
I thought Leanne was a breath of fresh air as Cosette. Katie plays it "sweet and caring" just like most Cosettes. Many do not pull it off well and we're left with a very bland, unlikeable character albeit with a nice voice.
I prefer more aggressive, inquisitive Cosette's who are not afraid to stand up to their fathers or to be shocked about falling in love or to just create a different take on a limited character. That's why Julia Moller will always be my favourite, I thought she captured the above perfectly. |
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| flying_pigs |
They've finally updated the cast page!
http://www.lesmis.com/pages/about/cast_current_uk.htm Yay! EDIT: You might want to ignore the ensemble bit, it seems like a mixture from 2005-06 cast (hence Thaxton listed as Bamatabois/Courfeyrac) and the 2009-10 cast. Weeiiiiird! And I love how AJC is mentioned twice in the same list but with a slightly different name! |
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| Eppie-Sue |
LOL I looked at the ensemble list and went . What a mess xD but hey. He should play Bamatabois this year, too, for all I care. I really want to see that. However, both Courfeyrac and Enjolras should be a bit of a challenge.
Oooooh Les Mis in Concert is today, I'm so excited!
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| Madeleine |
I can't believe how long it has taken for them to update that page, it has been irritating me for weeks now. Even then, they've messed up the ensemble
I did get a little excited to see Stephen John Davis listed again, before I realised it was mistake
Not happy that Mark Dugdale is one of the people left off though *sulks* Edit: And they've spelled Courfeyrac wrong! 'Courfreyac' *sulks even more*
I'm still cross that its too far away for me to get to. (I know I shouldn't complain as there are plenty of people further away than me...but still )
I've spent this morning convincing myself that I don't need/want to be there as I saw that cast many times...so I'm feeling slightly less sulky about it now. Although I'm sure that will change when I hear how brilliant it was.
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| MlleTholomy�s |
They never spell all the characters' names right. There's always one person who gets the short end of the stick. |
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| Elbow |
Shit me, the IOW performance last night was fanstastic! Photos and videos will be uploaded and some attempt at reviewing shall be made when i am off the island tomorrow. | ||||||||||
| Eppie-Sue |
oh VIDEOS I believe I love you. So glad to hear it was fantastic, can't wait to read the review! Thank you.
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| Madeleine |
I guess you're right. It is just particularly irritating when its your favourite who gets misspelled.
Oh I can't wait to see/hear/read everything.
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